Those named bring the total number of NAI Fellows to 414, representing more than 150 prestigious research universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutions.

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Gregg Fields, Ph.D., chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry and director of the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Newswise — Gregg Fields, Ph.D., chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry and director of the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Election to NAI Fellow status is a high professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

“This is a tremendous honor and well-deserved recognition for Dr. Fields,” said FAU President John Kelly. “He joins the ranks of other distinguished NAI Fellows and we couldn’t be more proud of his accomplishments and contributions to science.”

Fields is a renowned researcher who holds seven U.S. patents and has authored more than 250 scientific publications. His research focuses on the use of chemical approaches to better understand how protein three-dimensional structures influence cellular and enzymatic behaviors. He has participated in 13 National Institutes of Health R01 grants, either as principal investigator or co-principal investigator, and has presented nearly 200 invited lectures.

Those named bring the total number of NAI Fellows to 414, representing more than 150 prestigious research universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutions.

Included among all of the NAI Fellows are 61 presidents and senior leadership of research universities and nonprofit research institutes, 208 members of the other National Academies (NAS, NAE, IOM), 21 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 16 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, 10 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Science, 21 Nobel Laureates, 11 Lemelson-MIT prize recipients, 107 AAAS Fellows, and 62 IEEE Fellows, among other awards and distinctions.

The NAI Fellows will be inducted by the Deputy U.S. Commissioner for Patent Operations, from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), during the fourth annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors on March 20, 2015, at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Fields previously served as the chemistry and biochemistry department’s chair at FAU from 2000-08 and has since worked with several top organizations in his field, including Scripps Florida, the H. Lee Moffitt Comprehensive Cancer Center & Research Institute, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Most recently he was vice president for scientific affairs at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies in Port St. Lucie.

NAI Fellows will be presented with a special trophy, newly designed medal, and a rosette pin in honor of their outstanding accomplishments. To honor these academic luminaries of invention and innovation, a plaque listing the name and institution of each NAI Fellow will be on permanent display at the USPTO.

The 2014 NAI Fellows will be recognized with a full page announcement in Jan. 16, 2015 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as in upcoming issues of Inventors Digest and Technology and Innovation.

Herbert Weissbach, Ph.D., distinguished research professor in the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, is also a NAI Fellow.

The academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

The 2014 NAI Fellows Selection Committee comprises 17 members, including NAI Fellows, recipients of U.S. National Medals, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees, members of the National Academies and senior officials from the USPTO, Association of American Universities, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of University Technology Managers, and National Inventors Hall of Fame.

-FAU-

About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of three signature themes – marine and coastal issues, biotechnology and contemporary societal challenges – which provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

About The National Academy of Inventors® The National Academy of Inventors® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprised of U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutions, with over 3,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 200 institutions, and growing rapidly. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI edits the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation, published by Cognizant Communication Corporation (NY). www.academyofinventors.org